House Parties

Photo taken by Kimberly Piccott

Since I entered what (I guess) you could call my 'late 20's' (I turned 27 in December), there has been a noticeable shift in the lifestyles of my friends, namely more and more people I know are buying homes.

One of the great benefits of this is the greater opportunity for entertaining at home - tiny walk-ups that can barely hold 10 people are replaced with spacious living rooms and rec rooms; actual dining rooms that hold tables and chairs provide somewhere to sit and place your food other than your own lap.

One of my best friends just moved into such a house in January with her fiance, and practically every weekend since they've moved in she has hosted SOME kind of get-together. One of the trends in her entertaining has been what I like to call "At-Home Sales Parties", where you invite a group of friends over and a consultant/independent sales rep of some kind talks to you about the products they offer, and shows you examples, samples and tries to convince you to buy something.

Remember Avon and Mary Kay? Yup, just like those. However, these are no longer your grandmother's parties - my friend's many entertaining forays have opened my eyes to an entire "home-selling" world out there that I never knew existed. I can certainly see the appeal - shopping in your own home can be a much more laid-back, comfortable experience and you can actually try the products out or see how they are used (can't do that in most stores!). Plus, if you host, you usually get free products and/or discounts on what is offered.

And I can also see the appeal for the consultants - you get the chance to run your own little business, but with the support of the bigger business to provide you with all the supplies and training you need, and you can work as much or as little as you want. I'm telling you, if selling Mark (the 'young women's' line from Avon) were open to Canadians, I would be on that in about two seconds!

I do find that some of the products for these lines can be a bit pricey, depending on the company, and sometimes I feel an awkward pressure to spend money (I am not going to lie, I have skipped out on such parties before because I was broke and didn't want to be pressured into buying), but for the most part I think they can be a great way to entertain and shop if done the right way and you end up with a good salesperson.

One of the recent parties my friend hosted was for Lia Sophia - I have to say, I was impressed with this jewelry and ended up buying two pieces (a necklace and a pair of silver hoops). Their stuff is good quality and the prices are a bit high, but still reasonably affordable for most budgets (although, for the higher prices are are getting good quality, so it makes it less painful). I really liked the consultant that my friend had also - she was really nice, but not pushy, and knew a lot about the pieces. My pick: The "Parade" Necklace.

Pampered Chef and Epicure are two parties that friends of mine have hosted but I haven't attended. I have looked through the catalogs though and many of the things look and sound super-yummy. A lot of their items are cater toward convenience, which is nice when you are someone who is busy and doesn't like to cook (like me). The prices are also pretty reasonable here, which is another added bonus. My picks: Pampered Chef - "Round-Up From the Heart" 2008 Trivet (they donate $2 to Food Banks Canada for every one purchased!)/ Epicure - Smoky Bacon Salad Topper

I have been to a couple of these parties - in case you couldn't tell from the company name, these are all about sexy toys and bedroom accessories (meow!). These parties are always a lot of fun, and they offer a bunch of different packages depending on your preferences. One package they offer is the "Unleashed" party, where the consultant demos the products (in a PG way of course - clothes stay on, people) and you and your friends can try them on and take funny photos. It's a little crazy but also a comforting and discrete way of buying some sexy products for yourself (and your partner, if applicable).

What is really neat about the Halifax branch is they have a "Party Pad" downtown here (within blocks of all the great nightlife) that groups can rent out and it has a full kitchen where you can bring whatever food and drinks you want and you get VIP cover into a nearby bar with your fee. Definitely a unique idea for 'girl's night out' or bachelorette. My picks: Hah - yeah right! I don't kiss and tell ;)

Have you ever been to or hosted an "At-Home Sales Party"? What did you like/not like about the experience? What is your favourite home-party company?

Sushi Love

Sushi is one of my favourite foods. Luckily for me, countless great sushi operations have opened all over Halifax in the past few years, so there are lots of ways for me to feed my addiction.

The boy and I eat sushi fairly regularly and it just so happens that we have had some cool sushi-related experiences lately that I wanted to share with you:

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* Last month we went to see the documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi at the Oxford Theatre. The film follows 85-year-old Jiro Ono, who runs a tiny, hole-in-the-wall sushi restaurant 'Sukiyabashi Jiro' in a non-discrept Tokyo subway station and has devoted his life entirely to creating top quality sushi - so much so that the restaurant was the first of its kind to be awarded 3 Michelin stars. The film is beautifully shot, extremely lyrical, and is a testament to qualities that are all too often forgotten in today's hurried and self-actualizing society - dedication, humility, simplicity, and patience.

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* As part of the continued attempts to explore my new neighbourhood (Clayton Park), the boy and I recently ventured out to Happy Sushi - an All-You-Can-Eat sushi restaurant about 2 minutes from our apartment. Yes, you read that right - ALL. YOU. CAN. EAT. SUSHI. TWO. MINUTES. AWAY.


I'll just give you a minute to let the awesomeness of that sink in...


The concept is certainly an interesting one - you are given a 'menu' that lists every item they have available, and you figure out what things you want to order and write the quantity in a little square next to the item, the waitress collects it and they bring you the dishes one at a time. You can do this as many times as you want, at a flat cost (I think $25 for dinner, $17 for lunch) and it includes non-sushi add-ons such as soup, dumplings, pop and ice cream (I had the green tea flavour and it was delish). The only catch is that if you order anything and don't eat it, you get charged full price for it! So you definitely don't want your eyes to be bigger than your stomach! The strategy we used was to just order small amounts at a time - maybe two or three options - eat those, then if we still had room, order two or three more and continue on that way until we were full. Well, I think we ate something like 50 pieces between us, plus dumplings and ice cream so we certainly fulfilled the AYCE expectation.

* Backtrack to New Year's Eve 2011 - we wanted to have at least a somewhat special meal but who wants to order takeout or try to get a table at a restaurant on NYE? Too. Hectic. We decided eating in would be best, but we wanted to try something new and prepare something we could make together.

So? We decided to make homemade sushi!


Luckily, our local grocery stores now have a pretty good selection of Asian products, so we were able to pick up sushi rice, seaweed wrappers, and bamboo rolling mats with minimal searching. The one downer was that we couldn't find fresh tuna anywhere, and the boy was really counting on it, but we made do with salmon (easily my favourite fish). I was a bit worried the supplies would be costly, but in the end it was a moot point because we ended up with a TON of rolls. You would be surprised how many you can get out of one small fillet of fish (see above)!


And it was so easy - now, we used a very basic technique (we could have gone more fancy with it, I suppose, but it was our first time and we preferred to eat earlier than midnight). We simply laid the seaweed on the rolling mat, pressed cooked rice in a thin layer on one-half of the wrapper, added slivers of fish and whatever other fillings we wanted, then rolled those babies up! A couple of things you have to remember are to wet your hands before handling the rice because it can get pretty sticky, and to not add too many fillings or make the filling layers too thick (otherwise the roll will be way too thick to roll up and cut properly. A lesson we learned the hard way).


Happy New Year, indeed. And now I will leave you with this hilarious lesson about the importance of Unagi:

Ahhhhh, salmon skin roll.

Have you tried sushi? Are you a fan or not? Is there a particular food you are addicted to?

Boat-hitching

Since I moved into a new apartment a couple of months ago, which is across the street from a very cool Library, I have made a commitment to start borrowing books instead of buying them (at least part of the time). I recently figured out how to borrow e-books and download them onto my Kobo e-reader - cool, huh?

I love books and I love new books, but buying them can be hard on the wallet if you go through them quickly like I do (I read on the bus every day - to work and home - so I sometimes can finish a book in a week's commute. A new book every week? Yeah, not in the budget).

On my very first trip to the Library after making this commitment, I found a little gem in the travel book section that has become one of my new favourites - Adrift in Caledonia:

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I had never heard of Nick Thorpe before so I wasn't sure when I picked it off the shelf if I would like his writing, but the story certainly sounded 'up my alley'. It turns out I did enjoy his writing - very much so - and the story more than I even thought I would. Basically, Nick is an Englishman living in Glasgow, Scotland and he decides to take a trip around the entire country (2,500 miles!) entirely by hitching rides on boats (hence "boat-hitching"). And hitch rides he does - he travels on everything from rowboats, submarines, fishing boats, ferries and kayaks - every kind of boat you can imagine really, on every kind of waterway you can picture (I had no idea that Scotland has an entire system of canals!). Although some sections of his trip were pre-planned, most of the time he literally (and bravely) has to walk up to people he doesn't know and 'bum' rides. He has to completely rely on the kindness and open-mindedness of yachters, rowers, fishermen, and sailors to complete his trip, and he even has to help crew some of the vessels. Fortunately for him, this allows him to pick up snippets of their 'stories', and the personalities and experiences of these people are what gives the book its real heart.

This book not only fed my wanderlusty soul with the whimsy and romance of a long-distance trip, but it also instilled in me a newfound respect for people who make their living on the water (NOT a cushy existence in most cases). As someone who has lived their entire life next door to the ocean, I understand the pull that the water enacts. There is something simultaneously magical and scary about being on the water - it has a kind of mystical power and beauty that is very exciting, although you know it could turn ugly on a dime. It's hard to explain if you are not someone who has grown up by the ocean, but I definitely get it.

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I have some Scottish heritage and have always wanted to visit this country, but before reading this book I would never have thought of exploring it by boat. I hope I get to have a seafaring adventure in the home of my ancestors someday like Nick did, but in the meantime I was able to do so vicariously thanks to this wonderful book.

If you like books about sailing, boating, travel and/or journeys than you should read this one. If I can find it at the Library, I think I'll read his other story Eight Men and a Duck (a voyage to Easter Island in a reed boat?! That is just crazy enough to be awesome!).

His latest book Urban Warrior sounds great too. Sigh, so many books, so little time.

Have you read a book recently that really spoke to you? What are your favourite type of books to read? Do you prefer to buy or borrow books?

Summer Style

Ah, this glorious time of year when the weather (finally!) starts to warm up, the days get longer and the sun comes out - I. Love. It. I love the crispness and scenery of the Fall but at heart I am a sun-worshipper. Alas, I live in a place where almost half the year is winter (i.e. freezing, wet, snow, slush, blech) but that makes the sun that much sweeter when it comes.

I really should have been born in California.

Just last weekend I put away my winter clothes and coats and hauled out the summer-wear - shorts and sandals and beach cover-ups. It felt great to refresh my closet. However, this new feeling of a fresh beginning has me itching to pick up some new warm-weather pieces too. Here's what I am currently coveting:

1. Mediterranean-style wedge sandals

I have had a pair of metallic wedges with turquoise accents (a hand-me-down from mum) that I just love for a few years, but one of them is literally coming apart! Methinks it's time to retire them (*sadface) and get something new. I love the style though, so I would love to get something similar...something such as:

These are a little higher than I would normally wear but I love the embellished straps!

Mediterranean-style shoes are perfect for summer - casually dressy and conjure images of turquoise waters, white-sand beaches and tanned limbs. And although I love the look of heels I just can't do them unless I know I am going to be mostly sitting - they kill my feet and I am not good at walking elegantly in them. A wedge is a way to have the height and flattery of a heel but keep the comfort!

All shoes from dsw.com

2. Gingham shirt

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I saw one of these super-cute tops at Old Navy last time I was in there and I had it in my hand to try on, but for some reason I ended up putting it back. Haven't been able to get it out of my head since (go figure). I have a hard time finding button-up shirts that fit (I have small shoulders and chest + wide hips and butt so often they are too big on the top, too small on the bottom) so unless the shirt has stretch or is made in a wider cut on the bottom, they don't work for me. I liked the lightweight fabric of it and the versatility of the piece is second-to-none - you can wear it to work under a sweater, vest or jacket or on the weekend tied or left open over a tank. Alas, I think the ones at ON may be gone now, but I plan on keeping my eyes open for another in my travels! Now I just have to decide if I want a red or blue check (orrrrr both?).

3. Funky pants

I have been intrigued by the printed pant trend for a while now - however, I have been scared to try it. I am uncertain they would look good on me because I have a curvier bottom-half, but part of me thinks I just haven't found the right style yet. I think a pair in a more streamlined shape or a simpler print (e.g. two neutral colours) would be most flattering, such as:

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I love the Rorschach-style of this print and the neutral colours would make them easy to coordinate in many outfits. But these springy, floral ones are great too:

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Obviously this print is more loud but the cut is slimmer which means they are still flattering. A floral is just so fresh for spring/summer! Maybe one of these days I'll take the plunge! In the meantime, I can dream :)

What are your summer fashion picks? Any pieces are you coveting for the warmer season? Do you have a summer "uniform"? Are you getting excited by the coming of the new season?

Birds of Paradise

On Friday night, I took my sister to see one of the last performances of La Cage Aux Folles at Neptune Theatre. I had been hearing rave reviews, plus The Birdcage is one of my favourite movies (seriously, Nathan Lane is like my hero in this movie), so I was really looking forward to it.

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It can be dangerous to go into something with high expectations like that but in this case we were safe because the show was wonderful! I can't say enough about the talent of the main actor, who played Albin, Steven Gallagher. He is a great singer and has great comic timing - I just about bawled with laughter during the scene where Georges (played by Ian Simpson) tried to teach Albin how to 'act like a man' (also one of my fav scenes from The Birdcage, funnily enough).

I also couldn't get enough of David Lopez as "the maid" Jacob - his facial expressions and body language were just hilarious. I was quite amused by one tiny detail - that the Spanish 'chorus girl' was from Cadiz (my boyfriend's grandmother was from there - AND to my delight, Georges pronounced it the Spanish way, i.e. "Cad-eeth" - silly, I know but my boyfriend and his Spanish-fluency have trained me to pick up on such things).

Plus, these queens looked 10 times better in a dress and heels than I do (not that it takes much)! Speaking of dresses, the costumes were gorgeous - the six main dancers kept coming out in the most beautiful gowns covered in fun prints, sequins and sparkles. The makeup and hair were also great, as well as the sets - the entire styling of the show was very impressive, in fact.

This number was awesome. Source.

I honestly don't get out to the theatre much, but anytime I make it a point to take in a Neptune show, I never leave disappointed. I have said it a million times and I'll say it again - one of the things I love most about living in Halifax is the vibrant arts scene. You can literally be out every night of the week enjoying a concert, play, dance performance or art exhibit - it lends such an exciting and mind-expanding pulse to the city (and gives me things to do, which is an absolute necessity)!

Next season is Neptune's 50th and they have some really fun, surprisingly commercial offerings - I am looking forward to Elf: The Musical and Sweeney Todd. Eighteen sounds intriguing as well - sort of a cross between Big, Groundhog Day and Tin Cup? - although I'm not a golf fan (I mean who can resist the tagline "What if you had a mulligan for your whole life?").

The only downside to this play is that ever since I have had the opening song "We Are What We Are" running through my head non-stop...ok so that's not really a complaint (although any song gets annoying after a dozen repeats). 

Aren't musicals just the best?